Former ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio knows a thing or two about facing the same person multiple times for a ONE World Title.
He was pretty successful at it, too.
That’s why Pacio is so intrigued as to how the rematch between John “Hands of Stone” Lineker and Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade will unfold when the Brazilians contend for the ONE Bantamweight World Title for a second time at ONE Fight Night 7 this Saturday, 25 February, inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Pacio is currently 3-0 in rematches for the ONE World Title, and he knows that when the two men face each other again, there will be some changes.
“The rematch is extremely risky for both men. For sure, there will be adjustments from both fighters,” he said.
However, Pacio believes it’s Lineker who has to find more answers in this match.
“The Passion” was left impressed with how Andrade navigated the first bout against his compatriot, mixing up his boxing and lethal knees and kicks as he certainly looked the better fighter before the no-contest stoppage.
“Wonder Boy” looked a step quicker in their initial match, and Pacio praised the Brazilian’s way of going in and out of range without getting hit.
“I think Andrade can easily read Lineker’s attacks and knows how to manage the distance, especially since he has the edge in both height and length. His physical advantage will come in handy again in this rematch,” he said.
While he doesn’t want to count Lineker out, Pacio believes that Andrade’s momentum and confidence will be hard to topple.
“For me, it depends on whether Lineker can immediately adjust to the style of Andrade. But as of now, Andrade has the advantage and the momentum. For me, Andrade will get the win by knockout or decision,” Pacio said.
ONE Fight Night 7: Linker vs. Andrade II is available at watch.onefc.com, as well as at One Sports and One Sports+ on Philippine television.
